Seocho District

According to the Korean Bar Association, more than one third of the practicing attorneys in Seoul work out of Seocho-dong, a southern neighborhood in Seocho District.[6] Sometimes referred to as “Seocho Judicial Town,” the area is also home to many of the country's most important legal institutions, including the Supreme Court, the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office, the Seoul Central District Court, and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.[6] The area also includes the headquarters of some of the world's largest companies which compose the clientele for many attorneys.[6]

Several of the world’s largest companies have their headquarters located in this district.[7] Samsung, the country’s largest conglomerate, has many of its important buildings in the area in an office park called Samsung Town.[7] Hyundai Motor Group, which as of 2022 is the 11th largest automobile manufacturer in the world, is also headquartered in the district.[7][8]

Due to the high concentration of residents with specialty occupations in Seocho District, the area is known to be one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Seoul.[9] In 2021, the average monthly income for residents in Seocho District was 3,770,000 KRW; this figure is only second to Gangnam District–at the district level–and is higher than the city of Seoul’s average monthly income of 2,980,000 KRW.[9]

• Seoul Metro

• Seoul Subway Line 2 Circle Line

(Gangnam-gu) ← Seoul National Univ. of Education – Seocho – Bangbae → (Dongjak-gu)

• Seoul Subway Line 3

(Gangnam-gu) ← Jamwon – Express Bus Terminal – Seoul National Univ. of Education – Nambu Bus Terminal – Yangjae (Seocho-gu Office) → (Gangnam-gu)

• Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation

• Seoul Subway Line 7

(Gangnam-gu) ← Banpo – Express Bus Terminal – Naebang → (Dongjak-gu)

• Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation

• Seoul Subway Line 9

(Dongjak-gu) ← Gubanpo – Sinbanpo – Express Bus Terminal – Sapyeong → (Gangnam-gu)

• Shinbundang Railroad Company

• Shinbundang Line

Gangnam – Yangjae – Yangjae Citizen's Forest (Maeheon) – Cheonggyesan → (Bundang-gu)

Gangnam School District 8 is a school district (administered by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) that encompasses the Seocho and Gangnam districts of Seoul.[11] The district is known for its high-quality education and features some of Korea’s most elite and competitive high schools such as Whimoon and Kyunggi high school.[12] Graduating classes from high schools in Gangnam School District 8 boast high admission rates to Korea’s top universities.[13] Seoul National University’s freshman class in 2022 had 10% of its students come from schools in Gangnam School District 8.[13]

Torch Trinity Graduate University is located in Yangjae-dong, Seocho District.[14]

International schools in the district:

• French School of Seoul[15]
• Dulwich College Seoul

The district has a large public library system with 21 public libraries.[16] In addition to libraries, Seocho District is home to 24 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, 11 high schools, 1 school for the disabled, and 2 universities.[16]

The Seoul Arts Center is located in Seocho District, Seoul.[18] The Arts center includes five main buildings: the Opera House, the Music Hall, the Hangaram Art Museum, the Hangaram Design Museum, and the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum.[19]

The Music Hall and Seoul Calligraphy Museum were built in 1988.[18] The Hangaram Art Museum and Art Archives were completed in 1990, and the Opera House was built and opened to the public in 1993.[18] The arts center attracts nearly 3 million annual visitors.[19]

The National Library of Korea was established in 1945 and is located in Seoul.[20] The library contains over 10 million volumes and  numerous foreign books.[21]

The National Gugak Center, located in Bangbae 3-dong of Seocho District, was founded in 1951 with the purpose of preserving Korean court and folk music.[22] The institute aims to promote traditional Korean music by hosting and engaging in workshops, research, and live performances.[22]

• Sebitseom
• Banpo Bridge
• Supreme Court of Korea
• Citizen Park
• Heonilleung (Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty)

Seocho District has a wide variety of hotel accommodations. The following is a list of the largest hotels in Seocho District based on number of rooms.[24]

Sampoong Department Store, constructed in the Seocho-dong area of the district, collapsed on June 29, 1995 due to structural failures and regulatory negligence.[25] The disaster resulted in 502 deaths and over 900 injuries.[25] The collapse of the Sampoong Department Store is only second to the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in terms of casualties caused by unintended building collapses.[25] Executives responsible for the construction of the Sampoong Department Store– namely Lee Joon who was the chairman of Sampoong Group’s construction division– were later convicted for criminal negligence.[26]

Woomyeon Mountain is a mountain terrain that stretches along the borders of the Seocho, Bangbae, Yangjae, and Woomyeon neighborhoods of Seocho District.[27] In 2011, unprecedented levels of rain in greater Seoul– over 587 mm in just 3 days– triggered an avalanche in Woomyeon mountain.[27] The disaster heavily impacted the Hyeongchon Village neighborhood of Seocho District, resulting in over 17 deaths and 50 injuries.[28]

On August 8, 2022, Seoul experienced one of its heaviest rainfalls of the last century.[29] The greater Seoul area experienced over 381.5 mm of precipitation– beating the single-day precipitation record of 354.7 mm in 1920.[29] One of the most impacted areas was Gangnam Station in Seocho-gu; a total of 3 casualties occurred in this area with 2 people being sucked into a sinkhole and the other drowning inside a lower level parking lot.[30]

Seorae Village, commonly referred to as the French district or “Little France”, is an enclave located in Banpo 4-dong of Seocho district.[31] In the 1980s, with the construction of high-end, luxury residential villas, Seorae Village emerged as an affluent, residential neighborhood.[31] Additionally, with the French Embassy School in Korea (Lycée français de Séoul) moving from Yongsan-gu to Seocho-gu in 1985, the French population in Seorae Village steadily grew. The number of French residents residing in Seorae Village was further increased by French corporations– such as Carrefour, TGV, CLSA, and Bank of Renault– entering the Korean market in the 1990s.[32] Today, approximately 40% of the French population living in Korea reside in Seorae Village.[32]

Gangnam Station is one of the most crowded places in Korea and a common meeting ground for young people.[33] After the release of PSY’s hit song, Gangnam Style, it also became a major tourist attraction.[33] The station has a variety of outlets including restaurants, theaters, record stores, beauty salons, and massage specialists.[33] It serves as an important hub for transportation and is interconnected with the bus system.[33]

• Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
• Hongkou District, Shanghai, China
• Laoshan District, Qingdao, China
• Çankaya District, Ankara, Turkey
• Perth, Western Australia, Perth, Australia
• Irvine, California, United States
• Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, Mexico[34][35]